Speaking without words: A meta‐analysis of over 70 years of research on the power of nonverbal cues in job interviews

Summary What candidates say in an interview is important—but so is how they say it. We draw on dual‐process theory to explain why interviewers rely on individuals' dynamic and static nonverbal cues to evaluate performance with quick, implicit inferences (System 1 processing). Yet, it remains unclear which cues most influence interviewers' judgments and whether moderators affecting interviewers' reliance on System 1 thinking (e.g., interview structure, modality, duration, and interviewee gender) impact the relationship between nonverbal cues and interview ratings. We performed the first meta‐analysis to address these questions, integrating findings across 63 studies ( N = 4868). The nonverbal cues demonstrating the strongest association with interview performance were professional appearance ( ρ = .62), eye contact ( ρ = .45), and head movement ( ρ = .43). Moderator analyses highlight the persistent power of nonverbal cues, as the results were largely unaffected by interview structure, modality, or duration. Experimental design did play a role, as did interviewees' gender, with stronger effects for certain nonverbal cues (e.g., facial expressions and professional appearance) for women than men, conveying interviewers' reliance on gender‐based stereotypes when judging their performance. Overall, these results suggest nonverbal cues and characteristics are an important influence on job applicants' success in employment interviews.